Estimate your direct payment social care personal budget for 2025/26. Calculate care hours, hourly rates and whether direct payments cover your assessed needs.
Input the number of hours of care support you need each week as identified in (or anticipated from) your care needs assessment.
Choose between personal care (help with daily tasks), domestic support (cleaning, cooking), or overnight support, each with different average hourly rates.
Choose your region to apply the appropriate average hourly rate — London rates are higher than the UK average, and northern England tends to be lower.
The calculator estimates your weekly and annual direct payment personal budget and an indicative contribution you may be asked to make based on your financial assessment.
Contact your local authority social services department for a full care needs assessment. The actual direct payment amount will be formally calculated based on your assessed needs and financial circumstances.
A direct payment is a cash sum paid directly to you by your local authority to arrange and purchase your own care and support, instead of the council arranging services on your behalf. They give you greater choice and control over how your assessed care needs are met.
You need a care needs assessment from your local authority social services department. If you are found to have eligible care needs under the Care Act 2014, you will receive a personal budget — the amount the council will spend on your care — and can choose to receive this as a direct payment.
The personal budget amount is set by the local authority based on your assessed care needs, local market rates for care, and your financial assessment. UK average hourly rates for personal care are £18–£25/hour; domestic support £15–£20/hour. Annual direct payment values for home care typically range from £5,000 to £40,000+ depending on needs.
Direct payments can be used to employ a personal assistant (PA), buy care from a registered care agency, purchase respite care, fund supported living arrangements, or pay for equipment, transport, or activities that meet your assessed care needs. The local authority will agree a support plan detailing how the money will be spent.
In some circumstances, yes. A local authority can agree to a family member being employed as a paid carer from a direct payment, particularly if no other suitable care is available. However, local authorities generally discourage this and it requires specific agreement. Family members living in the same household are usually excluded.
A personal budget is the total amount of money the local authority has calculated is needed to meet your assessed care needs. You can choose to receive this as a direct payment (cash), have the council manage it on your behalf (managed budget), or a combination of both. The personal budget must be sufficient to meet your eligible needs.
The local authority calculates your personal budget using a resource allocation system (RAS) based on your assessed needs, local care costs, and availability of support. They then carry out a financial assessment to determine how much you must contribute based on your income and savings.
A care needs assessment is a free assessment by your local authority to determine whether you have eligible care needs under the Care Act 2014. Anyone can request one regardless of income. The assessment looks at your ability to carry out daily living activities and the impact of any difficulty on your wellbeing.
Possibly. After your care needs assessment, the council will carry out a financial assessment (means test) to determine your contribution. If your income or savings exceed certain thresholds, you will be asked to contribute to your care costs. The contribution is calculated based on your disposable income after allowances.
With a direct payment, you receive the money directly and arrange your own care. With a managed budget (also called an Individual Service Fund or ISF), the local authority or an authorised organisation holds and manages the money on your behalf, arranging care as agreed in your support plan. Both give you a personal budget; the difference is who controls the money.
Most local authorities require you to open a separate bank account for your direct payment. You must keep records and receipts of how you spend the money. The local authority will carry out periodic reviews (usually annually) to check the money is being used appropriately to meet your assessed care needs.
If your care needs change significantly, you can request a review of your care needs assessment from your local authority at any time. The personal budget will be recalculated to reflect your current needs. Your direct payment amount will be adjusted accordingly — it may increase if needs have grown or decrease if your situation has improved.